Railroad-crossing gate



(N0 Model.)

J. C UTY.

RAILROAD CR0SSI1\IG GATE. No. 294,765. Patented Mar. ll, 1884.

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UNTTED STATES PATENT @ii-Fien.

Aa/-xiLao/Tomeifiosslae GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 294,765, dated March 11, 1884.

Application iilcd July 20, 1883. (No model.)

.To all whom it may concernf Be it known that I, JOSEPH COTY, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Joliet, in the county of 'Vill and State of Illin ois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Crossing Gates, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Figure l is a side view; Fig. 2, an end view from a position on the track; Fig. 3, a side elevation of that portion of the device against which the wheels of a passing train engage to operate the gate, and Figs. et ando detached views of substitute devices for the levers t t.

This device is a gate to be used at railroadcrossings to prevent persons, teams, Sac., from crossing the railroadtrack when a train is approaching, and is intended to be operated by the passing trains as they pass in either direction, so that the gate will be open when no train is passing and kept closed while the train `is passing.

The view Fig. l is from .a position in the road that crosses the track and represents theV gate, consisting of the arms or bars a a, as let down to prevent crossing the track. The gate consists of four of these bars, two at either side of the track, as shown in Fig. 2, and pivoted in the posts A A onthe rock-shafts S, so the inner ends ofthe bars a (t may vibrate up and down, to open and close, when desired. The posts A andbars ay avon either side of the track being duplicates, it is not necessary to show or describe but one in detail, so the second one is only partially shown by the end view in Fig. 0.

The shafts S in the top of the posts A A,

and to which the bars a a attach, are providedu with sheave-wheels P, which are connected with the sheave-wheels FS FS on the shaft S. This shaft S extends from post to post across under the track, as shown in Fig. 2, and a sheave-wheel, PS, is attached thereto near each end. There is to be a pair of posts-such as is'shown in Fig. l-on each side of the track, and, looking at Fig. l, a similar pair is supposed to be located directly behind them on the other side of the track, and shafts S S eX- tend across under the track to the said opposite postsA to operate and support a similar pair of bars in the saine manner as those shown in Fig. l on the other side of the track. When sheaves l. FS on shafts Sv are rotated by means of the chain c from the treadlc mechf anism, they in turn rotate sheaves Piby means of the chains c, and thereby cause the bars a. a to be elevated and lowered.

The parts that engage with the wheels of a passing train to operate the gates are intended to be located along the side of the trackone each way from the gate-at quite a long distance from the gate, so that a coming train .will close the gate before the train arrives at the' gate, and one of these parts is shown at tlie right end of Fig. 1 and also in Fig. 3. 1t is not necessary to show another one at the left end of Fig. l, as it would be but a duplicate of the one at the right in said figure. VThis device consists of a pair of oscillating upwardly-projecting levers, t t, pivoted or keyed on the rock-shafts S2 and R". of these rock-shafts are provided withsheaves I and P', which are connected by the chain c, to rotate each sheave alike. Also, these rockshafts are provided with the ratchets R and R next within the sheaves l? and P, as shown' in Fig. 3, and firmly keyed thereto. The pawls -x fr on the sides of the levers t t engage with the ratchets to rotate them.

Referring to Fig. 3, it is shown Ahow the levers t t are connected with each other in such manner that they will oscillate to and from each other as one is depressed by the wheels of a passing train. 1f a train were coming from the right, the wheel would strike the lever i first and depress its upper end. This would cause its lower end to pull on the link z and rock the Y-shaped piece y, that pivots on the central stud, andpull on the pawl of the lever t by means of its being connected thereto by the link fu to release the pawl from the ratchet R. The slot w in the end of link w permits a partial movement of the Y, so the said pawl can'lbe removed before link w pushes against the lower end of lever tto depress the upper ends of these leverst t toward each other, to be below the wheels of the train.

The treadle device shown in Fig. 3 and at the right in Fi l is connected to the gate by means ofthe chain ci, as shown in Fig. 1. Said chain passes over sheavewheels in said treadle The outer ends v device, and from thence over the sheaves l. in the foot of the posts A, as shown in Fig. 1.

It is obvious from the manner in which these levers 2 t' are connected that they must oscillate to and from each other, the object of which is that when lever i' is depressed lever t will also turn down out ot' the way of the wheel and rock the shaft S2, to which it is journaled, and by means of thelong chain ci, which is shown in Fig. l, and connects sheaves I with sheaves l in the ioot of the posts A. on the rock-shafts S, will partially rotate sheaves l, and by that means raise or depress the bars a u, according to which one of these levers tthe wheels strike. It the train were coming from the right in Fig. l, it would operate by its wheels on levers 1 I by depressing them, and that would close the bars down, as shown in said ligure. After the train passes on past the gate, it will operate a similar set of leverst l', not necessary to be shown, but located to the left of Fig. l along the track, and thus elevate the bars a a to open the passage-way across the track, so that the gate-bars u a are let down when the train approaches the gate, and raised after the train leaves the gate, it being intended to place the devices shown in Fig. 3 far enough apart so the train will not be on both at the same time. The springs m m, attached to the lower ends ot' the leverst t, will always return them to their primary position after the wheels of the train have passed over them to release them. The levers 1' pivot loosely on the shafts Si lt, and only rock them by means of the pawls on the atchets lt R. It is intended that each passing wheel will operate to ro tate the ratchets one notch at a time until each notch has been engaged by a pawl, by which time the gate-bars a c are moved to their l'ullest extent, and any further rotation of said rock shafts is prevented by the plain portion ot said ratchets. (Shown in Fig. 3.)

ln Fig. lY two Y-shaped pieces are shown on the same stud. ,[n order to get a reverse motion of these levers t a duplicate set of these parts and the links .c r ir are necessary so they will operate in the same manner, no matter from which direction the train approaches.

It is designed that the gate-bars a. a stand upright, so the way across the track will be closed only while a train is passing, and that thel bars will always belet down bythe wheels striking the set of levers between the gate and the approaching train, and be opened or lifted up bythe set ot' levers tt beyond the gate as the train is leaving the gate, whereby the gate is automatic and does not require t-he attention of an operator to open and close it.

A bell attachment is shown in Fig. l, the bell b on the side of the post A having its ringing mechanism connected to the leverr" by means ot' the wires \V and NV and bellcrank r. \Vhen a train is passing, the wheels will consecutively strike the upper end of lcver 7"", causing it to pull on the wires \V XV, and thus continuously ring the bell while the train is passing or approaching, as it is intended to locate lever fr at some distance along the track away i'rom the gate. rlhc chain cfis held closelyin contact with sheaves l?Z by means ol'the smaller sheaves (shown in Fig. l) at the foot ol" the posts A. A, so the chain cl will have suilicient i'rictional contact with said sheaves to perform the duties required ot' it. Figs. 4 and 5 show two other forms that might substitute the levers l', but which l will not further describe.

The whole device forms a cheap, sate, durable, and ett'ectivc automatic gate i'or the purpose. rllhese gate-bars@ may be duplicated to cover a sidewalk as well as the street, and ther chains may be substituted by wire cables, ropes, or anything' that will answer the purpose.

Having thus described my invention, what'I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows, to wit:

l. rl`he combination ot the gatebars a, shalt S, sheaves l?i l, P, chains c c c', posts A., levers t 1, linksc lr u, Y-shapcd piecey, springs m in', ratchets It R, pawls .1114-, .rock-shafts Si t', and sheaves F l", all arranged to operate substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

The combination ofthe levers l Al/, pawls .r .'r, ratchcts ll` l', links .cr fr 1r, coil-springs vmy m, sheaves l. 1)', Y-shaped piccey, and chains c ci, by means of which successive wheels ol' the approaching train lower the gat e-bars (l a, or elevate them, gradually, in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

JOSEPH POTS'. lit uesses:

'.lrnios. H. l-[t'ren Iss, XVM. J. llcrcnlxs. 

